Residents asked to help create community artwork inspired by nature

Residents of Abergavenny and from across Monmouthshire are invited to help create community art inspired by nature. The Nature Isn’t Neat team and visual artist Stephanie Roberts will be holding two workshops for local people, during which a lasting legacy to the Nature isn’t Neat campaign will be created.

Booking is not necessary to attend the workshops, which are taking place at the Rugby Club at Bailey Park between 9.30am and 1.30pm, on both the 30^th June and 11^th August. You can drop in at any point during the morning and stay as long as you like at the free sessions, which are suitable for all ages.

The first workshop will involve the design of the artwork using a combination of hand drawn, collage, print and stencil art processes, and will be inviting thoughts and ideas that will inform the artwork. The second workshop in August will focus on making the final mosaic artwork alongside the artist.

Councillor Sara Burch, Monmouthshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Inclusive and Active Communities, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for the community to help create a lasting piece of artwork that reflects the beauty of nature in Monmouthshire, and the Gwent area as a whole. We’d love everyone to spread the word about the workshops. The more people that get involved the better as we want this artwork to reflect the local community. We’re all looking forward to seeing what will be created as a lasting testament to Nature Isn’t Neat and the positive effect its principles have had on wildlife and pollinators across Gwent.”

Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment, Cllr Catrin Maby said: “The impact of Nature Isn’t Neat across Gwent cannot be overstated. The selective mowing approach that allows grasses and wild flowers to thrive for longer is supporting pollinators and a diverse range of wildlife generally. To have the community come together to help celebrate this is truly wonderful. I encourage everyone not only to get involved in these workshops, but also in the Nature Isn’t Neat ethos.”

There is no need to pre-book, but the organisers would appreciate it if those planning to attend let them know by emailing gwentpollinators@monmouthshire.gov.uk so they can get a rough idea of how many are likely to take part. To find out more about Nature Isn’t Neat visit www.monlife.co.uk/outdoor/nature-isnt-neat

This community art project is supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe Investing in Rural Areas and is funded by the Welsh Government’s Enabling of Natural Resources and Well-being Grant.

How can we better involve young people in Monmouthshire Museums?

This is the question we are hoping to find the answer to! We are four young people from the area working on ways to improve the museum service for young people like us. Working with MonLife Heritage and the Federation of Museums in Wales, the four of us are consulting with both museums and young people in the area for this project; visiting heritage sites to assess the current museum service; and speaking with a variety of young people face-to-face and online to work out how best to develop our museums. We also have an online survey to ensure everyone can be involved in improving our museums.

Our aim is to ensure a museum service that better serves young people, and encourages the next generation to become engaged with the heritage sector and the history of their community. This project also will provide a foundation for the heritage sector to build on, informing the ways we develop the museum service into the future.

If you’d like a say in the future of our museums, fill in our questionnaire using the link below. We are so excited to be working on this project with you! To access the survey CLICK HERE

Exciting Opportunities

Are you aged 19-25 and passionate about making a tangible difference to your community? Then join MonLife’s new Youth Panel for Culture and Heritage!

We are looking for a final member to join the panel. You will be part of a group of 8 young people (aged 16-25) from the county who will directly influence the provision of MonLife Heritage activities for young people. This is a great opportunity to develop your skills and meet other young people in Monmouthshire, alongside being excellent experience to add to your CV.

The next meeting of the Youth Panel will be in the Shire Hall in Monmouth on Monday 10th October, 5:30 – 7:00 pm. You will receive a £25 gift voucher for attending.

Please register your interest here: MonLife Youth Panel for Culture and Heritage – Registration of Interest.

If you have any questions, please contact David (davidurryscicom@gmail.com).

Half term fun as the Jubilee weekend approaches

Half term fun as the Jubilee weekend approaches

There are plenty of fun events and inspiration for days out in Monmouthshire this coming half term, many of which are free.

Monmouthshire County Council’s MonLife, which runs many of the county’s museums, attractions and leisure centres is offering a chance to make Brilliant Banners and Super Scrapbooks. Families can create their own family banner using printmaking techniques or make a scrapbook to collect and preserve all favourite keepsakes and memories. It’s messy fun for all the family so do take along an old shirt or apron. There’s no need to book but children must be accompanied by an adult. Suitable for children 4 years and above. The sessions run from 11am – 3pm on the following days: Monday 30^th May at Shire Hall, Monmouth; Tuesday 31^st May at Abergavenny Museum; Wednesday 1^st June at Chepstow Drill Hall.

Monmouthshire County Council’s new cabinet member for Inclusive and Active Communities, Cllr Sara Burch said: “This is a truly historic half term holiday with its four-day celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. After the past two years of extremely restricted social events due to the pandemic, Monmouthshire’s communities will undoubtedly enjoy the opportunity to come together and celebrate with friends, family and neighbours. I am pleased to also see so many fantastic fun, free activities planned across our leisure centres, museums and Community Hubs for this coming week.”

Monmouthshire’s Community Hubs are hosting some special free activities as well. On Monday 30^th May, Chepstow Hub is asking children (4-8yrs) to help them celebrate the occasion by decorating special jubilee bunting and join in a special story time, from 2pm. The following day, on Tuesday 31st, also at 2pm, Chepstow Hub is hosting a Baby Rhyme Time for babies. Caldicot Hub is also hosting Baby Rhyme Time on Tuesday 31^st May, between 10.30am-11am, followed from 3pm-4pm by a Decorate a Jubilee Bookmark and Royal Themed Story Time for ages 4-8 years.

At Usk Hub there’s a free Story Time and Crown Craft session at 10.30am on 1^st June for children up to the age of 7 years. At Abergavenny’s Hub there will be a free Jubilee Stories and Crafts day on 1^st June, with children of all ages welcome between 10.15am-10.45am and 2.15pm-2.45pm. Monmouth Hub is also offering free fun, with a Baby Rhyme Time from 10.30am-10.50am on Monday 30^th May, and a Queen’s Hat and Making A Crown session from 11am on Wednesday 1^st June for ages 4-7years. Gilwern Hub is also hosting a free Drop-In Craft and Colouring opportunity on Tuesday 31^st May and Wednesday 1^st June.

The Monmouthshire Games returns for more action packed half-term fun from 30^th May – 1^st June (8am-5pm; £21 per day) for children aged 5-11 years. There are new activities to try each day, learn new skills and make new friends. Call 01633 644800 or visit https://www.monlife.co.uk/monactive/childrens-activities/the-monmouthshire-games/ to book.

For more half-term inspiration take a look at the VisitMonmouthshire.com website which is packed with inspiring ideas for days out across the county, many of them with a Royal theme, such as Jubilee Party Racenight at Chepstow Racecourse on Saturday 4^th June (4pm-9pm), a special garden party at Raglan Castle (4^th and 5^th June) and the Welsh Cider and Perry Festival is taking place at Caldicot Castle between 2^nd and 5^th June.

All this, plus countless community events will make this half term truly memorable. If you’re planning a community street party to celebrate the jubilee, the message this year is “ditch the disposables” and not buy single-use tableware. There’s are environmentally friendly alternatives, such as encouraging visitors to each bring their own plate and cup, or borrowing party sets from one of the Library of Things (benthyg-cymru.org) or perhaps buy a pre-loved selection of china tableware from one of the Reuse Shops. Based in Llanfoist and Five Lanes recycling centres, the shops sell second-hand essentials at bargain prices and the profits go to tree planting in the county. They’re open from 10am-3pm on Tuesdays (Llanfoist) and Wednesdays (Five Lanes).

MonLife celebrates first birthday of Active 60 programme

This week marks the one-year anniversary of MonLife’s Active 60 programme, which is available for people aged 60 & over to become more physically active through in-person or online classes: including yoga, Pilates, tai-chi and gentle exercise.

Over the last year, MonLife’s Active 60 programme has proved a great success, providing members with not only a fitness programme, but positive mental wellbeing through connecting with others in the community. Active 60 members will be able to link their physical activity to MonLife’s My Wellness app via smart phones and watches creating a digital eco system where activity can be monitored by attending sessions. The most active members from each leisure centre will receive acknowledgement and fitness rewards from MonLife.

Abergavenny’s winner, Alex, started coming to the gym as he wanted to gain strength to push his wife’s wheelchair, finding that exercise improved his general well-being too. Chepstow’s winner, Eve, has been consistently attending swimming and fitness sessions, completing over 40 sessions since signing up. Gordon, Monmouth’s winner, said he is very appreciative and is making great success with membership, donating MonLife’s t-shirts to a local group sending items to Ukraine. Similarly, Caldicot winner, Lynne, was over the moon with her prizes, and has found the team at Caldicot very supportive and helpful, benefiting her health and wellbeing.

The programme offers a variety of different fitness classes suitable for this age group to help encourage enjoyment through sport, as well as being a social space as people can meet others and chat. MonLife will join with other Welsh leisure providers to deliver its 60 Plus Fit4Life initiative, made possible thanks to funding from Sport Wales.

With over 150 members, MonLife have exciting plans to introduce new sessions for members which includes multi sports, dance, walking sport, walking netball and table tennis. The Sport Development team are looking for alternative exit routes for the programme into local community clubs, such as walking hockey, bowls, touch rugby and park runs, generating a wider variety of activity. This also give these members options to increase social outlets and improve health and well-being.

The first 8 weeks of membership is free for members, being funded by Sport, and £16.50 p/m afterwards.

For more information on how to sign up, click this link: Active 60 – Monlife

Abergavenny Museum welcomes exhibition of Monmouthshire born author Arthur Machen

Abergavenny Museum is playing host to some impressive works by Welsh artists this year, all inspired by Monmouthshire’s own Arthur Machen, best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction.

This exhibition features artworks by Jon Langford, Pete Williams and John Selway, created to illustrate the writings of Arthur Machen (1863-1947). Machen drew inspiration from his native Monmouthshire, its landscape, history and Roman remains, as well as the strange and supernatural, the weird and the wonderful. World famous horror author Stephen King describing Machen’s The Great God Pan (1890; 1894) as “Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language”.

The exhibition showcases both original works, as well as print reproductions of artwork commissioned to illustrate recent reprints of Arthur Machen stories by the Newport based publishers The Three Impostors. This includes a new edition of one of Machen’s early works ‘The Chronicle of Clemendy’, which has just been launched as a series of stories set in medieval Monmouthshire, complemented by artist Jon Langford’s illustrations. There are also first editions of Machen’s works, manuscripts, letters and photographs.

Established ten years ago, The Three Imposter’s aim is to produce high quality, scholarly versions of interesting, rare and out-of-print books, along with other related new writing. Their first project was the republication of Arthur Machen’s three volumes of autobiography, continuing to reprint some of Machen’s novels, series of short Machen related stories, and also new and original works by Welsh authors.

The exhibition is now open and will run at Abergavenny Museum until December 18^th 2022. It is free admission and open daily from 11am – 4pm except Wednesdays.

For more information, please visit: https://www.monlife.co.uk/heritage/abergavenny-museum-castle/

Work starting on ‘green’ enhancement of Castle Street car park in Abergavenny

As part of plans to improve ‘green infrastructure’ – the term used to describe the creation of a network of natural and semi-natural features, green spaces, rivers and lakes that intersperse and connect villages and towns – across the county, Monmouthshire County Council has been working on plans to create green corridors through Abergavenny. Work will commence early April on enhancements at Castle Street car park, which will see the planting of additional native trees and wildflower species. The project is designed to support connectivity with other green spaces in the town centre.

Works are expected to take approximately one week to complete, dependent on site conditions. Small sections of the car-park around the planting installation will be temporarily closed off, but Castle Street car park will still remain open for all users. Monmouthshire County Council apologises for any potential inconvenience during the works, and it is hoped that everyone will enjoy the completed planting when next using the car park.

Planting will include rowan and field maple trees in wooden planters, and native wildflower turf on existing amenity grassland. Wildflowers such as autumn hawkbit, betony, birdsfoot trefoil, bladder campion, cats ear, common knapweed, common sorrel, common vetch, common toadflax, crested dogstail and sheep’s fescue grasses, will grow in these wildflower areas. These additional native wildflowers and trees will provide more food and habitats for birds and insects, and benefit our pollinators such as bumblebees, honey bees and butterflies, which are already supported by the Council’s pollinator friendly grassland management.

The new trees and wildflower meadows will also reduce carbon emissions through the storage of carbon, and so help in addressing the issues of climate change. The planting will also support ecosystem resilience, improve water quality, and support general well-being in the town for both residents and visitors.

Following public consultation all respondents supported the aspiration to enhance green corridors across Abergavenny. Ideas proposed have been incorporated where feasible into the current proposals for Castle Street and will be taken on board for future projects.

If you would like to know more about Green Infrastructure at Monmouthshire County Council, please visit www.monlife.co.uk/outdoor/green-infrastructure

Case Study: MonLife Active 60

Objective:

The MonLife Active 60 Programme was made possible with funding from Sport Wales. The programme seeks to encourage lifelong physical activity for people aged 60 plus by offering them support to become more physically active through in-person or online classes.

Members of the Active 60 programme have access to:

• Fitness Suites with a 1 to 1 tailored programme’s / programme reviews.
• Designated Fitness Classes (Fit4Life, Stretch & Tone, Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi, Fit4Life Dance, Fit4Life Multi Sports; Fit4Life Walking Netball; Aqua; Aqua Running; Les Mills Virtual BARRE, Les Mills Virtual Body Balance, Les Mills Virtual Sh’Bam)
• Casual Swimming Sessions
• Health Suite & Saunas (Except Monmouth).

Members are encouraged to link their physical activity to our My Wellness App via their smart phone’s or watches. This creates an online dashboard where activity can be monitored by attending gym/class, use of virtual class and outdoor activity such as sport, walking and cycling.

The MonLife Sport Development team also aims to connect members of the programme into local community clubs such as walking hockey; bowls; touch rugby and park run. By helping to create these pathways into the community it provides a wider variety of activities for members to participate in. this in turn helps members continue their health, wellbeing and enjoyment of physical activities as part of their everyday lifestyle.

The Active 60 Programme is also open to members that complete the National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERs) to help support them into lifelong physical activity and health.

Implementation:

Fitness Suites with a 1:1 Customer Journey with tailored programme’s / programme reviews.
Designated Fitness Classes (Fit4Life, Stretch & Tone, Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi, Fit4Life Dance, Fit4Life Multi Sports; Fit4Life Walking Netball; Aqua; Aqua Running; Les Mills Virtual BARRE, Les Mills Virtual Body Balance, Les Mills Virtual Sh’Bam) Casual Swimming Sessions
Health Suite & Saunas (Except Monmouth).

We’re continually looking to improve the programme to encourage participation by introducing alternative activities like: Dance, Walking Netball and Multisport.

Results:

All members that join the Active 60 Programme will complete a fitness assessment on week 1 and week 8 . This is reported back to Sport Wales to highlight improvements to health and wellbeing for this age group.

Since the start of the programme in April 2021:

157 members have registered with us.
140 members have programmes on the MyWellness App.
83% have stayed for their first month of the programme.

“After the long layoff due to Long Covid it was good to get back to the gym not only for physical but also mental reasons. Being able to attend the gym is good for the head as it gives me a focus and something to look forward to. The attendance can still be interrupted by days where the energy levels are low, but the improvement is obvious to me, and the programme is now beginning to return to normal and adjustments have been made to keep the progress.”
Active 60 Member

Spring into Easter holiday fun with MonLife

EASTER 2023 – Spring into Easter holiday fun with MonLife

If you’ve been looking for things to do during the upcoming Easter school holidays then look no further, MonLife has the answer – a whole programme of activities and events to keep children of all ages entertained.

MonLife Heritage has hatched some plans for family fun at Old Station Tintern, Shire Hall, Monmouth and Caldicot Castle which include egg decorating Easter bonnet kits, craft activities plus much more! They have also created play-filled spaces for children to play freely, surrounded by history.

The ever-popular Monmouthshire Games (TMG) returns to all four Leisure Centres across Monmouthshire from Monday 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th April, and Wednesday 12^th – Friday 14th April. It’s a chance to learn new skills, build confidence, meet new people, and most importantly, have fun through sport. Each day promises to be action packed, and booking is essential as there are 30 spaces available per day. Children and young people between the ages of five and 11 will get the chance to experience, across the sessions, over 30 different sports. Sessions run from 8am to 5pm, and it costs £21 per day. Places can be booked by clicking HERE.

MonLife Active Play programme which will be taking place across Monmouthshire is 1 hours and 55 minutes where children aged 5-11 can be left with our highly trained and experienced playworkers and choose from a range of activities to play including physical play, arts and crafts, archery or wherever their imagination takes them. Parents will need to complete a registration form to book their children to attend. Further information on venues and how to book can be found on the MonLife Holiday Activities Website link below.

Monmouth’s Play Centre at the town’s Leisure Centre will also be open, offering three-storey action-packed fun. There’s even a special enclosed toddler area. Adults can relax with a cup of tea in the café, with free wi-fi access available. Don’t forget the swimming pools, gyms and classes are open throughout the holidays (excluding Friday 7^th and Monday 10^th ).

For more information how to book and ideas visit:

https://www.monlifeholidayactivities.co.uk/activities/

Council gets ready for Nature Isn’t Neat 2022

Spring is officially here and Monmouthshire County Council’s grounds team are about to start preparing the county’s open spaces for the year ahead.

At the end of last year, the council’s team left some areas for hibernation sites for insects, left seed heads for winter food, as well as other wildlife-friendly considerations. Now, as we head towards summer, the council will be following the selective mowing regime that was such a success last year. This will start with a ‘first’ cut that will see most areas mown to reset the grassland. After this, successive mowing will follow the Nature Isn’t Neat principles to make space for wildlife and pollinator plants in open spaces across Monmouthshire. This includes not mowing under trees (which will reduce stress and disease), creating meadow spaces throughout our open spaces and road verges. Some areas will be cut less frequently or on rotation, and some areas will be left until late summer or early autumn to allow the grasses and flowers to set seed.

A spokesperson for Monmouthshire County Council said: “The feedback we received about Nature Isn’t Neat showed overwhelming support of the approach and offered some valuable insights on what was working well and where we can improve. Taking account of this feedback, discussions with our operational crews and the reduced impact of Covid on our ability to manage the work, residents will see some changes to the mowing this year compared to the last two years and we will continue to take feedback, and we will continue to make sure that play areas and sports pitches are cut to the full extent.”

Nature Isn’t Neat is an important part of the council’s response to the biodiversity crisis and climate change. The management principles help pollinators and other insects to thrive. This in turn supports other wildlife and improves long term food security. The changes in management also increase the amount of carbon drawn down into the soils and increases the ability of open spaces to absorb water, reducing runoff, flooding and pollution and makes our environment more resilient.

While most council owned green spaces will receive the Nature Isn’t Neat approach, some areas are owned by housing associations and not all of these have adopted the Nature Isn’t Neat approach, although they are mown by the council under contract. It is hoped that more organisations will get onboard with the selective mowing regime through the support of the regional Nature isn’t Neat project, and help the county’s mission to improve biodiversity and support wildlife.

If you would like to get involved, a new Nature isn’t Neat survey will be launched in May, Monmouthshire want to know what you think about its approach to ensure the right balance is maintained between nature and recreation. For more information visit: www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/nin/ and www.monlife.co.uk/outdoor/nature-isnt-neat/o.uk/outdoor/nature-isnt-neat/ or follow @MonmouthshireCC and @Natureisntneat on social media channels.

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